


If It Kills Me

by thorbiased



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Kid! Loki, Multiple chapters, Nightmares, Non-Linear Narrative, Occasional angst, One Shot Collection, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Sick Character, Sick Fic, Thor Is Not Stupid, Will add more tags as I go along, Worried Thor (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-06-29 09:00:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15726189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorbiased/pseuds/thorbiased
Summary: A one-shot collection set in a canon-compliant universe, in which Loki makes a deal with Hela to bring him back to life as an infant. Hilarity and mischief ensue when Thor has to raise his brother.





	1. It’s a Boy!

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mess, let me tell you. These are all set in the same canon-compliant universe. This first one I put a lot of thought into, especially on Loki’s part. That was fun, trying to figure out why he would do this. This one is longer than the rest will be, and it’s not as funny as I intended the rest to be, but it’s necessary to set up this universe. Please bear with it, lol, and as always, comment and leave kudos <3

The tales of Helheim did it no justice. The shadowy realm Loki had awoken in was nothing like the stories he’d heard as a child. He’d spent three miserable months amongst the mountains and inky black lakes of the afterlife. Loki had always thought there would be demons here. Or other trapped souls, at least. Yet, Helheim was a quiet, desolate, and lonely place. The silence was killing him, more so than Thanos. He was in danger of going mad, and he felt himself slipping further everyday. He missed his brother, surprisingly. (Not that surprisingly, he knew. Even in death he pretended to despise the god of thunder.) He longed to see his mother. He thought he would have been able to. 

Loki spent his days wandering around the caverns of his corner of Helheim, kicking charcoal-like rocks into the waters of the lakes, adjusting to not having a heartbeat steady in his chest, and trying not to relive his last moments. And missing his mother. 

By the gods, he missed his mother. 

Loki broke after three months of torturous silence. 

“Hela!” he screamed, “Hela!” His ran his fingers through his matted hair and stared up at the ashen sky. He was desperate, so very desperate. “Sister, I have a proposition. You must listen to me. Please.”

“You’re pathetic,” Hela said a moment later, standing over his crouched form. Loki scrambled to his feet and stared at her, panting like a dog. She rolled her eyes. “Though, most break far before this, so I must say I’m impressed.”

Loki rolled his eyes. He had no time for her quips, and he told her as such. “I have a proposition.”

“So I heard,” the goddess replied, inspecting her solid black nails. She blew on them and turned back to her brother. “Mind telling me what it is?”

Loki took a deep breath, preparing the argument he’d been practicing for the past few weeks. “I’m requesting to be resurrected.” 

Hela froze and lifted a single eyebrow. “Really? This isn’t a department store, brother, there are no family discounts.”

Loki huffed. “Hear me out,” he said, “I want to earn my place in Valhalla. Send me back as an infant.”

This got Hela’s attention. Her hand fell to her hip and she tilted her head. “I’m listening.”

“Let me start over,” he said, nearly begging. No, he was begging. “I want to see my mother again. Our mother.” 

“I can only do so...if you give me something in return,” Hela said cryptically. She smirked. “Are you prepared to do so?”

Loki nodded without thinking. “Yes. Yes, whatever you want.”

“Your memories.” 

The words hit Loki like a freight car straight to the chest. All the air in his lungs left his body. His breaths came out in short bursts. “What?”

“Well you can’t be an infant with all your memories intact,” Hela said, like Loki should have known better. “That’d be rather traumatic, don’t you think?”

Loki looked down at his feet, weighing the pros and cons internally. He could think of only one real downside, besides having to live another five thousand years. “I’m doing this to see my mother again...I wouldn’t know her once I got to Valhalla.”

Hela shook her head. “Your memories would be restored if you reach Valhalla.”

The “if” stung. He crossed his arms. “You’d do it, then? You’d bring me back?”

Hela nodded. “It’s a fair deal. A thousand years of memories for your life...” She trailed off, gesturing vaguely with her hands. “The question is...are you going to take the deal?”

Loki took a breath. He contemplated quickly. There was one more thing that he needed to be sure of. He couldn’t just be thrown out into the world and left to fend for himself. And he could only think of one person to do it, if that said person was still alive. 

“Will you give me to Thor?” Loki asked softly, a bit embarrassed. This was going to be an agonizing wait, once he got to the other end of it. 

Hela gave him a strange look. Icy cold dread flooded his veins. No. Was it sympathy, disgust, or pity on her face? He couldn’t tell. Finally, she said, “Yes. I’ll take you to Thor.”

Loki breathed a sigh of relief. “Can I explain...or will...” 

“I’m not explaining your idiotic decisions,” she said with disgust. “You have two hours. Come back within those two hours or the deal’s off.”

With a flick of her wrist, Loki was gone.

-/-

Thor took a sip of his coffee and stared out the window of the kitchen at the ocean in the distance. It was an early, foggy morning in New Asgard. The kind of grey and stormy day that was dreary and awful to anyone else, but amazing for Thor. A god of thunder thing, he supposed. 

The door swung open with a creak, but Thor kept his eyes on the green waves. It was probably just Brunnhilde, anyway. 

“Brother.”

Thor’s fingers gripped the handle of his mug so hard the ceramic cracked. He whipped his head around to face Loki, who stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the sunlight falling through the heavy clouds outside. “The sun will shine on us again,” echoed in Thor’s mind. Hope made his heart hammer in his chest as he clambered to his feet. His chair squeaked against the floor. 

“Loki?” Thor asked, breathless. 

Loki walked inside the house, closing the door behind him. “It’s me,” he said, almost sheepishly. 

Thor couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His brother was back? Seemingly alive and in his kitchen? He slowly crept forward, afraid that if he moved too quickly he would spook Loki and lose him again. 

“Are you...are you alive?” Thor asked. He wasn’t sure if he wanted the answer. 

“Not yet,” Loki replied. He took a deep breath and looked at anything but Thor. His eyes softened as he examined the house. 

Thor watched Loki closely, like if he took his eyes off him for a moment, Loki would disappear. “Would you like to elaborate?” 

Loki seemed to gather his words before speaking, something that Thor had never seen him do. His brother had always had a silver tongue. “I’ve made a deal with our sister,” he explained, “She’s going to revive me, bring me back as an infant to live life all over again, but in exchange for my life, I must give her my memories.”

It was almost too much to take in at once, so he processed the information in short bits. A deal with Hela. Loki alive. Loki alive as an infant. No memories. Thor took a breath. “You’re...saying goodbye, then? This is goodbye?”

Loki squinted and tilted his head. “Yes, but no. As I will be an infant, I will need a caretaker—“

“You want me to adopt you?” Thor asked, finally understanding. A smile came to his lips. “I’m flattered.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have come to you. You’ll raise me to be virtuous and honorable.”

“What an atrocity that would be,” Thor said, exasperated. Loki breathed a laugh. Something occurred to Thor. Loki had made a deal with Hela. He had been in Helheim, not Valhalla. Suddenly Loki’s reasoning became all too clear to Thor. His heart broke for his brother. “You’re not in Valhalla.”

Loki frowned and shook his head. “No, that’s why I’m here. I want to be with mother, with our friends.” 

“Loki, I’m sorry...I thought...since you died to save me,” Thor stumbled over his words, unsure of how to put it. He ran his fingers over his short hair and blew out a long breath. 

Loki sighed. “I thought so too,” he said sadly. His eyes met the floor. He took a breath. “But I will get there, now. Thanks to you.”

Thor smiled. “Fair warning, Loki,” he said, “I will raise you right.”

“Let me break a few rules now and then, will you?”

“Of course.”

“Then I must be going,” Loki said, turning to the door. 

Thor rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his brother. Tears sprang to his eyes. All the pain he’d been feeling over the past three months bubbled to the surface. “I’ve missed you.”

Loki froze, patted Thor’s shoulder awkwardly, before finally giving in and returning the hug. 

“I’ve missed you too.”

-/-

Thor really didn’t know what to expect. Loki had left half an hour ago. He had assumed Hela would show up immediately, but he found himself waiting. He sat at the table again, still watching the waves. 

How was he going to do this? He was happy to help his brother get to Valhalla, but was he going to be able to handle a constant reminder of what he’d lost living in his home? 

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. 

“Brother,” Hela greeted. Of course she came at that exact moment. He looked up from his hands at his sister. She stood in front of a closing green portal. Her hair was matted and she looked like she did the first time Thor saw her. She held a bundle of black fabric in her arms. Loki. 

“Hello, Hela,” Thor said tiredly, pushing himself to his feet and crossing his arms. He looked down at the baby in her arms. “Can I have my brother?”

Hela passed Loki over surprisingly gently. Thor carefully cradled Loki in his arms. He smiled down at the infant and brushed his thumb over his cheek. 

“Hello, Loki,” he whispered. His heart fluttered happily. He couldn’t lie, he’d been thinking a bit about children lately, and how he wanted a few of his own. After watching Tony and Peter, and after falling even more in love with Brunnhilde. 

“I’m going to puke,” Hela said, faking gagging herself. 

Thor glared at his sister. “Thank you for my brother,” he said, “Is there anything else I need to know?”

Hela pursed her lips. “No, I think you have everything.”

“Then thank you,” Thor said. He fought the urge to simply tell her to get out of his house. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if Brunnhilde were to walk in now. 

“Fine. I know when I’m not wanted,” Hela said, waving her hand to create another portal. She stepped through it, and it closed around her, leaving Thor alone with the baby. But to her ever-lasting credit, she’d magicked him some basic, Midgardian baby supplies. Thor breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the diapers, bottles, and formula that littered his kitchen table. 

“I’ve got this,” he whispered to himself, nodding. “It’s going to be okay.”


	2. The Story Goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor simply cannot explain the story one more time without exploding. So when he shows up at the Avengers Compound with a new baby in tow, he doesn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is more like the tone I wanted this story to have, more comedic. It’s also very short, as most of these will be, but I like to think it’s pretty funny. Please enjoy and leave comments and kudos and the like. <3

Thor had explained it all too many times. He was quite tired of it, and he supposed that’s why, upon arriving at the compound for an Avenger’s meeting with Loki in a sling against his chest, he had no explanation to give. 

Thor wore a pair of dark sunglasses and a tired expression when he walked through the sliding doors of the compound. He sighed as the air conditioned air cooled his skin. It had been a blazing hot summer, even in the normally cool Norway and especially in New York. He kept one hand cupped on Loki’s back and one ran over his cropped hair. 

He happened to be late that day, which was one hundred percent Brunnhilde’s fault. She’d refused to keep the baby, claiming she had to train with the army that day (which she did, and Thor knew that. He was just exhausted and looking someone to blame) and the ensuing argument had caused him to be sorely behind schedule. It was a bit of a good thing, though, it meant he was able to avoid the stares and questions for a minute longer. Not to mention, being fashionably late lent itself well to dramatic entrances. 

The meeting room had glass walls, so everyone could see Thor approaching. Several pairs of eyes tracked him as he came in, still wearing the glasses. He fumbled at the door handle before getting finally it open.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said before taking his seat without another word and staring blankly at the presentation board behind a slack-jawed Tony Stark. 

Loki whimpered in his sling, a sure sign that he’d woken up from his blissful nap (the first time he’d slept soundly since he arrived three days ago). Thor fought back a groan and leaned down to whisper something soothing. He willed the meeting to just keep going, but it didn’t. 

“Please, please, go back to sleep,” Thor begged, refusing to look up at his teammates. He couldn’t take explaining it all again, he just couldn’t. Thank the Norns and Odin above, Loki fell right back to sleep. Thor slumped against his chair, blinking back frustrated tears. 

“Um,” someone said, Thor was too sleep-deprived to tell who. Maybe Tony? “Thor?” No it was Steve. 

Thor took a deep breath, let his head tilt over and stared at Steve, who seemed very concerned. “Yes?”

“Who’s baby is that?” 

“That’s a a surprisingly hard question to answer,” he replied instead of giving an actual answer. When he was met with blank stares, he said with a heavy sigh, “It’s Loki. Yes, my brother. No, I’m not explaining it right now.”

“Then, lets get back to the meeting,” Tony said. Thor had never been more grateful. His head rolled to the side as Tony droned on about a threat in the Pacific. His eyes drifted shut, and he was snoring. 

When he woke, Loki was gone, along with the rest of the team. He jumped to his feet, wiping drool from his chin and sweeping the room. “Guys?” he called, desperation creeping into his voice. He couldn’t help but check for piles of dust in their seats. When he found nothing, he rushed into the hall and ran all the way to the common room. Everyone was there, including Loki. 

Tony sat on the couch with Loki in his lap, a big grin on his face. Peter sat beside him, making silly expressions to get a laugh out of Loki. Steve, Bucky and Sam stood in the kitchen making sandwiches. Natasha and Wanda sat on two barstools, watching the boys in the kitchen. 

“Hey, sleepy head,” Sam said, waving at him with a mayonnaise covered butter knife. 

Thor was having trouble comprehending what had happened. He stood in front of them all, gaping. 

“You good?” Tony asked, passing Loki to Peter, who cradled him with more care than a teenager should possess. The billionaire stood up and crossed the room. He clasped Thor on the shoulder. “You ready to explain that now?”

Thor chuckled. “I suppose you all deserve an explanation. How long was I out?”

“Three hours and twenty seven minutes,” Friday said over the speakers. 

Thor’s eyes widened in shock. Maybe it had been too long since he’d slept. He scratched behind his ear awkwardly. “You should’ve woken me up.”

“No,” Natasha said, waving her hand, “you looked cute sleeping.”

“I’ve got pictures!” Peter exclaimed. 

“Right. So now that you’re all rested up, you mind telling us why your genocidal brother is now an infant?” Bucky asked, passing a piece of bread over to Steve, who waited with the ham. 

Thor nodded. “It’s a long story...”


	3. The Babysitter’s Dilema

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter Parker babysits, which goes about as well as you’d imagine.

Peter had seen exhaustion. He’d seen it on Aunt May when she worked late shifts at the hospital. He’d seen it on Tony when he’d been having nightmares or when he had a particularly mind consuming project to work on. He’d seen it reflected back on his own face in the mirror during finals week. 

But he had never seen such levels of exhaustion as the ones on Thor’s face right now. 

Thor was visiting the compound, a few weeks since the first time he’d come with baby Loki, and Peter wondered if he’d slept at all during that time. He still carried Loki around in a light green sling on his chest, but only when the baby was sleeping. 

Thor rested his chin on his fist and kept the other hand on Loki’s back. His eyes were closed in sleep, and his mouth was opened just enough to let a few snores out. 

Peter had come to the compound to find him sitting at the kitchen table like that. He froze in the hallway, his hand stilled on his backpack strap. He slowly slid the bag off his shoulder and onto the floor, not daring to make a sound. He would not be responsible for waking both the god of thunder and the god of mischief from a well-deserved nap. He tiptoed back to the elevator, only to find that it had closed before he could make it back. He cursed under his breath. Should he risk hitting the button and making it ding, or sneak past Thor to the refrigerator and back, then hope for the best? Peter stood frozen in place for a while, deciding. 

Loki made his decision for him when he burst into tears, startling Thor awake and scaring the crap out of Peter, who jumped nearly three feet off the ground, his heart pounding. Loki was wailing, Thor was trying to wake up enough to deal with him, and Peter was making sure he hadn’t had a heart attack. 

All in all it was chaos, but when wasn’t everything chaos at the compound? Chaos was so common, in fact, that Friday didn’t even bother asking if everyone was alright. 

“Loki, shh,” Thor whispered, his voice groggy. Peter only then noticed the dark circles under his mismatched eyes. “It’s alright.”

Peter pressed his hand to his chest to steady his pounding heart. “He scared me,” he breathed. 

Thor chuckled softly. He looked up at Peter with a smile. “I’m sorry about that,” he said. He sighed and started gently patting Loki’s back. Finally, the baby stopped his wailing, but he whimpered until Thor took him out of the sling and held him in his arms. 

“You look tired,” Peter said. He crossed the room and took a seat across from Thor. He looked at him sympathetically. 

“Oh, I’m fin...” A yawn cut off his obvious lie, and he clamped a hand over his mouth. He shook his head, as if to clear it. “Yeah, I’m tired.”

“You know, I’m responsible. I could watch him,” Peter offered, a bit awkwardly. “If you want a break, I mean. It’s totally cool if you don’t.”

Thor blinked at him, his lips slightly parted. Peter gave him a reassuring smile. “That...that would be great, actually, Peter,” he admitted. “But I can’t ask you to...”

Peter waved a dismissive hand. “No, it’s fine. I want to. What other teenager can say they baby sat for a god?”

Thor chuckled at that. Peter could see the relief on the god’s face, in the way his shoulders relaxed. “I guess that’s true. I promise I won’t sleep long, Peter,” he said, standing up and walking Loki over to the other side of the table. He passed his brother into Peter’s waiting arms. 

“Cradle the head, right?” Peter asked, remembering the advice from countless movies and TV shows.

Thor nodded. “Yes,” he said, brushing a hand over Loki’s dark hair, a little smile on his lips. It was obvious that he loved his brother, despite the fact that he was clearly bone-tired. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

Peter nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, it’s cool. It’s no problem.”

Thor grinned. “Thank you, then. Wake me if you need help.”

Peter gave him a thumbs up with his free hand. “I will,” he said, even though he wouldn’t. He could handle this. He could handle a god-baby. Definitely. He was Spider-Man, after all. 

He watched Thor disappear up the stairs to his room, confidence still buzzing in his veins.

“Yeah, I got this.” 

-/-

Peter Parker did not have this. He thought he did for the first, what, twenty minutes? Until Loki decided that he was the worst thing that Midgard had to offer, and that he wanted no part of him. Peter had tried in vain to get him to calm down. He fed him, rocked him, he even freaking sang to him, but nothing sated the child. 

“Please,” Peter begged as he paced in the hallway, two hours after Thor had left. Peter hadn’t felt so helpless since that freaking building dropped on him. “Please, Loki.”

The child, or maybe demon, Peter wasn’t sure, still sobbed. He hiccuped and flailed his limbs around, angry at the world, at Peter. 

If only Mr. Stark were there, he would know what to do, but he was at some very important meeting that Pepper was adamant he would be attending. If only Colonel Rhodes hadn’t gone with him. If only Natasha, Sam, Steve, and Bucky weren’t on a mission. (Like, seriously? All of them?) If only Wanda and Vision hadn’t decided to take a vacation that very week. If only he wasn’t so very alone until they all came back. 

Peter fought the urge to scream. If all kids were like this, he could never be a parent. Maybe it was Asgardian babies. Yeah. Alien biology and such. That had to be it. Loki let out another shriek. Peter prayed that was it. 

“Okay,” Peter said, stopping his pacing. He started bouncing Loki on his hip. “Time to try something else.”

Loki’s wails turned to unhappy whimpers, which Peter decided was definitely an improvement. He smiled a little and ran a gentle hand over Loki’s hair. “See? I’m not so bad,” he crooned, carrying him to the living room. “Friday, could you put on some lullaby music?”

“Sure thing, Peter,” the AI said. 

An instrumental version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star played over the speakers. Loki perked up, confused. His blue eyes, brimming with tears, peered up at Peter. 

“You like that?” Peter asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

To his surprise, Loki giggled happily. 

“Oh thank goodness,” Peter breathed, leaning his head back with a grin. “Friday, don’t turn this song.”

“Okay, Peter.”

“Alright, Loki,” Peter said. He sat down on the couch and moved Loki to his lap, so that the baby was facing him. He cupped one hand on the baby’s back and held the other in front of his face. “We’re gonna play a game, okay?”

Loki reached out with chubby fingers to grab Peter’s cheeks. Loki’s nose scrunched in laughter. 

“You think that’s funny, hm?” Peter teased, the words garbled by Loki’s hands squishing his cheeks. He stuck out his tongue at the baby, earning another bout of giggles. “Yeah, ha ha.” 

“Mr. Stark has arrived,” Friday announced. 

Peter’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Oh, good,” he breathed. He stood up, cradling Loki to his chest. “Come on, Loki. Let’s go see Mr. Stark.”

Loki snuggled against Peter’s shoulder. Peter was beyond relieved that the baby was finally calm. He walked over to the elevator, rubbing circles onto Loki’s back. The elevator doors slid open, revealing a half-undressed Tony. His mentor carried his suit jacket in one arm and his tie hung loosely from his neck. His face crumpled in confusion. 

“Pete? Is that Loki?” Tony asked, rushing forward. Peter wondered if Tony really trusted Loki, even though he was a baby and couldn’t seriously hurt any of them. 

Peter nodded. “He’s sleeping finally,” he whispered, tapping his index finger on pursed lips. “Thor’s napping.”

“Ah,” Tony said, coming into the room. He walked to the kitchen, Peter trailing behind him. Tony sat his jacket and tie on the table, then turned to Peter. “Pass him over.”

Peter obliged, and as gently as he could, passed Loki over into Tony’s waiting arms. The billionaire had his dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, so Loki was content with the skin to skin contact. The baby quickly fell back asleep. 

“How long have you been alone with him?” Tony asked, his voice low. 

Peter shrugged. “Couple hours, maybe. I was fine. I had it totally under control.”

“How under control did he have it, Fri?” 

“Mr. Parker cried three times within the previous two hours.”

Tony gave Peter a smug look. Peter stared at his mentor in exasperation. “Well, I’m fine now,” he mumbled, crossing his arms. 

Tony clasped him on the shoulder. His brown eyes shone with pride. “You did good, kid,” he said, “Loki’s alive. You’re alive. Thor gets the rest he needs.”

Peter smiled broadly as Tony ruffled his curls. “Thanks, Mr. Stark,” he said. “You know, you don’t even have to keep trying to give me “the talk” anymore.”

Tony chuckled. He hooked his arm around Peter’s neck, still holding Loki in his other. “What? Loki scared you off?”

Peter nodded, his eyes far off, reliving the past three hours of horror. “Definitely.”


	4. From Our Imagination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor chases away Loki’s nightmare with tickles and chocolate milk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love! I appreciate it! The title comes from the Barney theme song. (All will be explained lol)

“Psst...Thor...”

Thor was sleeping peacefully, his arms wrapped tightly around Brunnhilde, when he felt a tap on his arm and heard a small, scared voice. He opened his bleary eyes to see Loki, clutching his blanket with tears streaming down his cheeks. 

“Loki?” Thor whispered. His heart broke at the sight of his kid brother, who pouted at the edge of his bed, hugging himself around the middle, his cheeks stained with tears. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Loki nodded, his bottom lip trembling. “Mmhm.”

Thor sighed softly and carefully untangled himself from Brunnhilde. Thankfully for Thor, the valkyrie was a very sound sleeper and didn’t stir. He crawled out of bed and went over to where Loki stood. He scooped the little up in his arms and cradled him close to his chest, his hand cupping the back of Loki’s dark hair. 

They went outside to the cliffs by their house. It was fall, teetering on winter, and the weather was cool. The sky was clear and speckled with bright stars. 

Thor took a cleansing breath of that cold, crisp air. Loki wrapped his arms around Thor’s neck and his legs around Thor’s torso, desperate to be as close to his brother as he could stand. Then he buried his face in the crease between Thor’s neck and his arms and whimpered sadly. 

“What was your dream about, brother?” Thor asked, rubbing soothing circles onto his back as he carefully sat down in the grass. The dew covered blades soaked his pajama pants and would make him itch, but he didn’t care. He tried to get Loki to sit in his lap, but the boy didn’t budge. 

“Bad man,” Loki mumbled against Thor’s neck. Thor furrowed his brows. “Purple man.”

Thor’s heart dropped to his stomach. His hand stilled where it rested on Loki’s back. Thanos. It was clear what Loki was going through now. Memories of his past life must have been crossing over. He couldn’t imagine how horrible it was for such a small child to see Thanos. And to see what Loki would’ve seen of the titan? It would be traumatic. Thor was about to march right down to Helheim and demand his sister fix this. 

“What...what happened in the dream, Loki?” Thor asked, afraid of the answer, but he needed to be certain. 

“Bad purple man,” Loki said again. Thor braced himself for the worst, expecting words of violence and death to come tumbling out of Loki’s lips. But instead, “Barney.”

“What?”

“Barney dinosaur!” Loki wailed, burrowing his nose deeper into the curve of Thor’s neck. 

Thor breathed a sigh of relief. So these weren’t nightmares from his past life, they were nightmares from this one. Thor knew of the dinosaur, from one of the Midgardian television shows that Tony had introduced Loki to. He made a metal note to call Stark about that, and make sure Loki never watched the show again. 

“Oh, Loki, I won’t let the bad dinosaur hurt you,” Thor promised. “You really think a purple dinosaur is a match for your brother?”

Loki giggled and pulled back. “No! Brother Thor beat Barney!”

Thor chuckled and threw Loki up in the air before pulling him back down and tickling his neck. “Of course I would! The ferocious Barney is no match for the mighty Thor, god of thunder, king of Asgard! I would slay the beast!”

Loki shrieked and scrambled out of Thor’s lap, far away from his tickling fingers. His joyous laughter echoed in the night, twinkling like the stars above the brothers. Thor clambered to his feet and chased Loki around for a while, letting the young prince win before finally sweeping him up into his arms and holding him close. Loki was breathless and still laughing, but Thor had turned a bit serious. 

“I’m never going to let anything hurt you, brother,” Thor said, his blue eyes stern. His heart started to pound hard in his chest, determination surging through his veins. He pressed a kiss to Loki’s forehead. “I promise you that.”

Loki nodded, then yawned rather adorably and slumped against Thor’s chest. The king chuckled and started back towards their little cottage that looked so warm and homey sitting up on that hill, the candles in the windowsills casting an amber glow on the night.

“You’re not asleep already, are you, Loki?” Thor asked, a smile on his lips. 

Loki fake snored very loudly in his brother’s ear, causing Thor to wince and pull back. 

“Oh, Loki is definitely asleep,” Thor said, humoring him. “Thank Odin!”

Thor felt his brother’s face crumple in confusion on his shoulder, but Loki said nothing. 

“Yes, I’m glad Loki is asleep. Otherwise, I’d have to let him have some chocolate milk.” Thor paused when he felt Loki go stiff. “But he is asleep.”

Loki’s head popped up. “I’m not asleep!”

Thor faked surprise, his lips forming a little “o”. “You’re not? Then I suppose you’d like some chocolate milk, then?”

Loki nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!”

Thor laughed, then opened the door to their cottage. The kitchen was on the right and down a short hallway, so he reached it quickly. He plopped Loki down on the table top. The little prince swung his scuffed-up legs over the side, eagerly watching his brother open the fridge and retrieve a gallon of milk. Thor held it up to his face and waggled his eyebrows. Loki giggled and clapped his hands excitedly. 

“You wanna pour it?” 

Loki hopped off the table and rushed over, happy to help. He ran to the cabinet that housed their cups and reached up. As Loki was only about four feet tall, he couldn’t get the cabinet open. Thor lifted him up so that he could, though. Loki pulled out two empty mugs, one with “The World’s Best Brother” painted sloppily on the side and another with some goofy cartoon character’s image printed on the ceramic. Thor and Loki’s favorite mugs. 

Loki sat the mugs side by side on the counter. Thor continued to hold Loki up while he poured the creamy brown milk into the mugs. He only sloshed a little bit out of the carton, and grinned up at the when the two mugs were full. “I did it!”

Thor nodded. “You did,” he said, stifling a yawn. He sat Loki on the floor after taking the carton back from him. He shot a glance at the clock on the wall as he put the milk back in the fridge. It was three a.m. Thor grabbed the two mugs of milk and took them over to the table, with Loki nipping at his heels. The brothers sat together at the table, with Thor at the head and Loki to his right. 

“Cheers,” Loki chirped, holding up his mug. Thor smiled and chinked his cup against Loki’s. 

“Cheers,” he said before taking a big gulp of milk. Thor drowned his milk without problem, but Loki came up coughing and sputtering. 

Thor laughed. “Are you alright?”

“Mhmm,” Loki mumbled, “just sleepy.”

Thor smiled warmly and sat down his mug. His plan had gone off without a hitch. Chocolate milk always knocked Loki right out. Thor pushed his chair back, walked around the table, and lifted Loki into his arms. The boy locked his arms around his brother’s neck, and fell limp in his arms. 

Thor crept through the halls of his little house, his heavy tread making the floorboards creak. He smiled at the pictures on the wall, depicting the last few years of happy memories. Loki and he sat together in the flowers, laughing at something Brunnhilde had said behind the camera. Only Thor’s hands were visible holding Loki’s chubby ones as he took a tentative step into the ocean. 

Four years earlier, Thor sat in a glorified escape pod with a rabbit and a tree with tears streaming down his cheeks. Now, he held his brother safely against his chest and walked through the halls of his house. He passed his bedroom, where the woman he loved slept. He took Loki to his own room, laid him down in a decorative toddler bed, tucked the covers around him. Loki looked up at him, a sleepy little smile on his lips. 

“Thanks for getting rid of the nightmares,” he murmured. 

Thor smiled. “I always will, Loki.”


	5. Even Frost Giants Get Colds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gets a cold, and Thor is worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s been forever since I’ve updated, but I promise I haven’t forgotten about this story. I still adore it. *sighs* Anyway, here’s this little sick fic. Plz comment and leave kudos. <3

Thor was messing around in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in his hand. Not that one could really call it “coffee”, not with all the cream and sugar he loaded it down with. Brunnhilde never failed to scoff at him when she saw him with it, but she was training that morning and couldn’t.

He heard Loki’s door shut down the hall and smiled, but Thor’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of Loki meandering his way down the hall towards the breakfast table. The boy rubbed at his eyes and clutched a blanket around his shoulders. His skin was more pale than usual, and his cheeks were flushed red.

“Loki?” Thor asked, setting down his mug of coffee on the table. Loki lifted his head slightly, and hummed his response. “You feeling okay?”

Loki’s shoulders slumped. “Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head. “Head hurts.”

Thor stood up and crossed the room. He scooped Loki up into his arms and pressed the back of his hand against Loki’s forehead. “Oh, you’re warm,” he said with a frown, “Wanna head back to bed? I’ll bring you breakfast.”

Loki’s blue eyes widened. “Breakfast in bed?” he asked. Thor noted the gravely tone of his brother’s voice with increasing concern.

“Yep,” Thor said, grinning, “Come on, I’ll carry you.” 

Thor shifted Loki over to his hip, then started down the hallway. He kept his hand cupped on the back of Loki’s head, tracing circles into his brother’s hair. Loki rested his head on Thor’s shoulder and coughed a little. 

Thor reached Loki’s room and pushed open the door. Unlike Tony’s little girl Morgan (who was now four, and often visited Loki and Loki often visited her), Loki kept his room clean. Thor knew that Morgan got her untidiness from her father, having bore witness to the disaster that was Tony’s workshop, and he was certainly grateful that Loki was cleanly. It made it easier to navigate the room when he had to come in for nightmares or midnight mugs of chocolate milk. He laid Loki down on his already made, albeit sloppily, bed and knelt down to tuck him into the covers. Thor brushed Loki’s bangs out of his eyes and made a mental note to get those trimmed, or maybe to teach him how to braid.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised, his eyes soft as he took in his brother’s haggard appearance. He looked like he felt terrible.

Loki nodded. “Okay,” he said quietly. 

Thor smiled, then pushed himself to his feet. He hurried to the kitchen and fixed Loki’s favorite cereal, then made his way back. Loki sat up when he saw Thor come in and smiled weakly. 

“Alright,” Thor announced, “one bowl of Fruit Loops for Loki.”

Loki’s eyes barely even lit up. That’s when Thor knew his baby brother was really sick. Loki never failed to be excited by Fruit Loops. Thor frowned and sat cris-cross on the floor. He passed the bowl and spoon over to his brother.

“Thanks, Thor,” Loki said, balancing the bowl on top his legs. 

Thor watched his brother eat with worry swirling in his belly. He didn’t know what to do; Loki had never really gotten sick, other than a few cases of the sniffles. Never a fever. (Really, Thor had wondered if it was possibly, given his heritage.) 

“What feels bad, Loki?” Thor asked.

Loki tilted his head. “Head, throat,” he said. He patted his chest. “Here. My nose is all runny.”

Thor nodded, mentally making a list of symptoms to tell Bruce later. “Okay,” he said, getting to his feet. He brushed Loki’s cheek with the back of his hand, and nearly jerked away from the heat. “I’m going to go call Uncle Bruce, okay? See if he can make you feel better.”

Loki bobbed his head and shoveled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. White milk trickled down his chin. “Okay,” he mumbled. “Will you stay with me? Instead of being king today?”

Thor smiled. He’d have to cancel a meeting or two, but for Loki? “Of course,” he promised, heading out of the room. “As long as you get some sleep.”

Loki smiled. “I will.”

Thor shut the door behind him with a soft click and headed straight back to the kitchen. His eyes scanned the counters and tables, looking for that blasted phone that he could never remember where he put it. His gaze locked on the silver glint of his Stark phone, and he snatched it up. His fingers flew over the screen, dialing Bruce’s number.

Bruce answered with a yawn. “Hey, Thor,” he drawled, his voice thick with sleep, “what’s up?”

“Loki’s sick,” Thor said urgently. He turned and leaned back against the counter. His heart was beating too fast for comfort. “I need you to tell me what to do.”

Bruce yawned again. Thor vaguely wondered what time it was in New York. He never did understand those time zones. “What’s his symptoms?”

“Runny nose, fever, throat ache,” Thor listed, ticking them off on his fingers. “Bruce, he’s never been sick before. I didn’t think he could get sick.”

“Everyone can get sick, Thor,” Bruce said. Something shifted on the other line, like maybe Bruce was getting out of bed. Thor felt a twinge of guilt. “Remember that time you got the flu and thought you were cursed?”

Thor sighed at the memory. “I’d never felt like that before, what was I supposed to think?”

Bruce laughed. “That’s just it. Loki’s fine. I’ll mail you some enhanced medicine, okay? Call me if he gets worse.”

Thor nodded, feeling better. The worry that had wrapped itself around his chest lessened. “Thank you, Bruce. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s fine,” Bruce assured him.

They exchanged goodbyes and Thor hung up the phone. He sat it on the kitchen table and exhaled slowly through his nose, forcing himself to calm down. Loki was fine. It was just a cold. He shook his head to clear it, then rummaged around in the drawers, looking for a thermometer. With an excited shout, he lifted it like Excalibur and rushed back to Loki’s room.

His little brother had put aside his empty cereal bowl and was reading a book when Thor opened the door. “Bruce is going to send some medicine, alright?” he asked, coming to sit at the foot of Loki’s bed. The mattress sank in, raising Loki up nearly over Thor’s Head.

“Okay,” Loki said. 

Thor waved the thermometer at him. “Open up.” Loki did. “Now, how does this thing work...?”

“Pwes da buttun,” Loki mumbled, his speech garbled by the plastic in his mouth. Thor chuckled, but did what he was told. He hummed a little song to pass the time by, which got a giggle out of Loki. The thermometer beeped and flashed a little eight bit 100.3 degrees. 

“Oh, no, you’ve got a fever, Loki,” Thor tsk-ed. He tossed the thermometer onto the nightstand. “I can’t do much until Bruce sends the cold medicine. Is there anything you need?”

Loki tapped his finger on his chin. “Tell me a story?” 

Thor grinned. “If you insist, little brother,” he said, leaning up to turn down Loki’s comforter. He crawled under the blanket and pulled Loki closer to his side. “What would you like a story about, hm?”

“I don’t know...” Loki sighed, tapping his finger on his chin in thought. “Tell me a story from when you were little like me.”

With a chuckle, Thor ruffled Loki’s hair. “Alright, then,” he said. He leaned his head back. “Once upon a time, there was a little prince named Thor. Imagine me, but smaller and cuter, brother.” Loki giggled. “One day, Thor decided that he was going to defeat a Bilgesnipe, all on his own...”

As Thor weaved a tale of his misadventures, Loki’s eyes began to droop. Thor kept his story elaborate and dramatic, but he was forced to keep Loki’s role out of it. He hadn’t yet explained Loki’s strange origins, wasn’t sure how to. He had to admit, he was starting to understand the decision his parents had made. He knew one day he would explain it all the right way and hopefully avoid a bought of the Odinsleep and an inter-realm war. 

By the end of the story (which involved Thor nearly getting eaten), Loki was asleep and Thor was yawning too. The older god blinked a few times, then sunk down lower into Loki’s bed. His feet hung off the side, and he was nearly slipping off the edge in an attempt to keep Loki comfortable.

Thor yawned again and stretched like a sun-warmed cat. He wrapped his arms around Loki, then rested his head on the pillow. A smile found his lips. And he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hinted here that Thor hasn’t told Loki about his heritage or his (albeit complicated) origins. That’s definitely something o want to explore in later chapters, I’m just kinda stumped on how to do that. I’ll figure it out. (Maybe)


	6. Rules Were Made To Be Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why’s he have to go?” he asked sadly when the light of the bifrost had faded, leaving a circle of burnt grass in its place. 
> 
> Brunnhilde was frowning, too, when she turned to walk back to the ‘Royal Palace’. She shrugged. “Avengers business, I guess. Important stuff.” 
> 
> “We’re important,” Loki pointed out. 
> 
> “Yes, we are, but there’s a global threat,” she explained. She wouldn’t lie, she wished Thor didn’t have to go, too. But she did understand. Honor and duty and all. 
> 
> Brunnhilde and Loki spend the day together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guess who updated? (Me) Hope you enjoy!

Loki sat perched on top of Brunnhilde’s shoulders, resting his chin on her braided hair and frowning as they watched Thor walk away. The god of thunder waved sadly at his family before slamming the handle of Stormbreaker into the ground. Loki clamped his eyes shut and covered Brunnhilde’s eyes with his hands. Brunnhilde had to giggle at the six year old’s antics. 

“Why’s he have to go?” he asked sadly when the light of the bifrost had faded, leaving a circle of burnt grass in its place. 

Brunnhilde was frowning, too, when she turned to walk back to the ‘Royal Palace’. She shrugged. “Avengers business, I guess. Important stuff.” 

“We’re important,” Loki pointed out. 

“Yes, we are, but there’s a global threat,” she explained. She wouldn’t lie, she wished Thor didn’t have to go, too. But she did understand. Honor and duty and all. 

“What’s ‘global threat’ mean?” asked the boy. He teetered slightly as Brunnhilde stepped up on the stairs. 

“It means someone’s trying to kill everyone,” she said, blunt as ever. 

“Oh,” he said. The corner of his lips turned down. “That’s mean.”

Brunnhilde often found herself amused by the dramatic irony of the universe, and was often forced not to comment on situations she found ironic. Instead of pointing out the irony, she ducked under the door frame to keep Loki from bumping his head. She reached up and brought him down to her hip. 

“What are we going to do today?” she asked him with a smile. 

Loki’s eyes shone with eagerness. “Can we have chocolate ice cream from breakfast?”

“What did Thor day about having chocolate ice cream for breakfast?” Brunnhilde asked, knowing full well that she’d let him no matter his answer. 

“He said it would make my tummy hurt,” Loki replied glumly, “And that I shouldn’t do it.”

“Well, Thor isn’t here, is he?”

The little god of mischief grinned. 

They found themselves in the kitchen not five minutes later, two bowls in front of them filled to the brim with chocolate ice cream and syrup and mini marshmallows. Brunnhilde scooped a spoonful out of Loki’s bowl like she didn’t have her own just to mess with him. 

“Hey!” he cried. He quickly nabbed some of hers, sticking his tongue out at her as he did. “Not fair!”

“Important lesson here, Loki,” the valkyrie said, waving her spoon like a grizzled old mentor in some coming-of-age film, “All is fair in love and war.” 

“I’ve read that,” he said, taking another bite. 

“Course you have,” she mumbled. “What other rules should we break today?”

Loki shrugged. “You can teach me how to sword fight.”

“Good idea. I like the way you think,” she said, holding out her fist for him to pump. He did, though he had to stretch his whole body out to do so. 

Brunnhilde settled back in her chair and watched the boy finish off his ice cream. Warmth spread through her chest. She still remembered the day Thor got him, remembered the panic in his eyes. A smirk crossed her lips. Odin’s beard, Thor was terrified. She hadn’t seen him so scared before, not even when they faced Thanos for the last time. 

Brunnhilde thrummed her fingers against the table. “Alright, you done?” she asked. 

Loki swallowed his last spoonful of ice cream and nodded enthusiastically. “Yep,” he said. He pushed back from the table and jumped down. “So, we’re going to learn how to sword fight?”

“You’re learning,” the valkyrie said, scooping Loki up into her arms. “I’m teaching you.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Twenty minutes or so later, Brunnhilde was passing a sword to Loki. The boy stared at the blade with wide eyes and a mischievous grin. They stood in the empty (for once) Valkyrie training center. Brunnhilde had changed into her uniform, and she’d given Loki a too big royal blue cape. 

“Alright,” she said, crouching down in front of him. She adjusted Loki’s grip on the handle so that he wouldn’t drop it and lose a foot. Or worse. She swallowed. Maybe Thor was right. “First step is learning how to hold this right. Tight but loose grip. It’s all in the wrist.”

Loki followed her instructions dutifully. “Like this?”

Brunnhidle hummed as she studied his form before nodding. “Perfect,” she announced. “Now, play to your strengths. You’re pretty small, but you can use that to your advantage.”

Loki frowned. “How? I can’t fight well if I’m small.”

“I’m small,” Brunnhilde said with a shrug, “Parker’s small. Stark is small. You’ll fight just as well as they do some day. Trust me.” 

Something lit up in Loki’s eyes. His shoulders shimmied with excitement, and he struck a dramatic pose with his sword. “I’m ready,” he said, all cute-like. 

Brunnhilde laughed. “I’ll get the dummy, dummy.”

While Loki make swoosh noises and strutted around with his (very real and sharp and Valhalla above, Thor might have been right) sword, Brunnhilde made her way to the supply closet. She drug out the smallest wooden dummy they had, wondering if she should get an wooden sword for Loki as well. Did she train with a wooden sword? Was she six when she trained? Crap, she’d gone and gotten protective and worried. 

“H-hey, Loki,” Brunnhilde started, setting up the dummy in front of Loki. He aimed his sword, only half paying attention to her. “Maybe we should start with a wooden sword. Just so no one loses a toe or anything.”

Loki’s shoulder’s slumped disappointedly. “I wanna use the real sword,” he complained, staring up at her with pleading eyes and pouted lips. “Please, please, please.”

Brunnhilde gnawed on her bottom lip, pinched the bridge of her nose, and gave a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, fine. Just swear to me that you won’t get hurt, and if you do, we make up an elaborate lie to tell your brother.”

“I promise that I won’t get hurt, and if I do, we’ll make up an elaborate lie to tell my brother.”

“Good boy.”

Brunnhilde took a few steps back to observe from a distance, and folded her arms over her chest. “Offense first. Bend your elbows. Use the power in your hips and thighs to strike your opponent.”

Loki did, fumbling a little under the weight of the sword. Really it was a miracle he’d even lifted the thing. Brunnhilde ran her thumb across her lip, studying his form. It was terrible, really. She thought back to the time she’d fought older Loki. He’d never used a sword. Suddenly and idea hit her. 

“Loki, give me that sword,” she demanded, holding out a gloved palm. 

“But—“ 

“Nope. Fork it over,” At Loki’s hesitance, she huffed and added, “I’ve got something better.” 

Loki sighed, but placed the handle of his sword in Brunnhilde’s hand. Brunnhilde sheathed it, then held out her hand again for him to take. He laced his fingers through hers, then walked with her to the armory.

“You’re going to like these much better, I promise,” Brunnhilde said, swinging their interlocked arms. Loki skipped to keep up with her quick, determined stride. “These’ll be easier for you to use.”

“But I like the sword. You use a sword,” Loki argued. 

“Am I you?”

“No.”

“Then we don’t fight the same. Just trust me on this, Loki.”

Loki sighed, but followed her to the armory. Sure it wasn’t as grand as the one back on Asgard, lined wall to wall with blades of all sizes and shapes and weapons you could only dream of. But it would do. 

Brunnhilde scanned the walls, looking for the daggers. She grinned when she saw some, and rushed forward, dragging Loki behind her. “These are way better for you than swords.”

Loki snickered. “It sounds like I’m going to eat them.”

Brunnhilde snorted. “Very true,” she admitted, “but I’m serious. You’re better suited for daggers.” 

She grabbed two, blue handled blades off the wall and gently placed them in his small hands. He twirled them over his fingers. “These are lighter.”

“Told you.”

He slashed at the air, his brows drawn in concentration. “This is awesome,” he decided, lunging towards the wall with one dagger and holding the other behind his back. Brunnhilde swallowed again. Thor was probably right. 

They walked back out to the dummy and Brunnhilde taught him how to properly wield daggers. One day he’d learn how to use his magic to aid his fighting, but since Brunnhilde didn’t know anything about tha, today wasn’t that day. A few hours later, Loki was breathless and hungry, so they cut his training short and headed back to the palace. 

“That was so much fun,” Loki said excitedly, skipping his way down the street that led to the palace. 

Brunnhilde walked close behind him, smiling at the citizens that passed. She had a strange relationship with the people of Asgard. As Thor’s...er...significant other, she was kind of like queen, but not really. And given that she was the leader of the Valkyries, she was pretty well respected. It was a somewhat welcome change to his things had been on Sakaar. 

“I hope Thor goes on missions a lot,” Loki said, “I like hanging out with you.”

“Aw,” Brunnhilde hummed. She swung their interlocked hands. “What’s for lunch, hm?”

Loki tapped his free hand against his chin in thought. “Spaghetti.”

“Then spaghetti we shall have.”

Now, Brunnhilde wasn’t the best cook in the realms, but she’d learned how to make a mean spaghetti from Bruce. Together, she and Loki worked in the kitchen to make some.

Loki hopped up backwards on the counter, while Brunnhilde leaned back against the table. He swung his legs merrily over the side, banging his heels into the drawers. 

“What’s your third favorite food?” he asked. 

Brunnhilde stroked her chin. “Agatha make the best mutton in the nine realms,” she said, a little lost in the memory of victory feasts and her home. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “My turn. What’s your second favorite reptile?”

“Turtles,” Loki said without hesitation. Brunnhilde wondered if he’d thought about this before. “What’s your least favorite animal?”

“Giraffes. Their necks are too long.”

“That’s understandable.”

The oven timer dinged. Loki scrambled on all fours to the pot of sauce, and inhaled deeply. “I think it’s done,” he announced. 

Brunnhilde grabbed him around the middle and pulled him away from the hot stove. She held him on her hip, and grabbed a tomato stained wooden spoon. She stirred the pot for a little while, filling the air with the delicious aroma of garlic. 

“I think you’re right,” she agreed, before shutting off the eye. “What about the noodles?”

Loki stretched his neck to see, then tilted his head. “I think they’re ready.”

“Then let’s eat.”

Twenty minutes and a mini food fight later, Brunnhilde was licking her thumb and wiping sauce off Loki’s cheek. He squirmed and wriggled away from her, wiping off the remnants of her saliva from his face with his sleeve. 

“Yuck,” he spat. 

“Get over it,” Brunnhilde said, bumping her hip against him as they carried their dirty dishes to the sink. “What are we doing next?”

Loki just grinned. 

They spent the next long hours breaking every dumb, safe rule Thor had ever declared. They ate all the ice cream they could stomach, Loki climbed up the cliffs on the east side of the city (which Brunnhilde regretted letting him do), and they generally had a good time. 

When Loki was finally tired out and Brunnhilde was too, they were out on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the water and the stars. Loki sat in Brunnhilde’s lap, and she had her arms draped lazily over his shoulders. 

Loki yawned. “I had fun today,” he said. 

“Me, too,” Brunnhilde said, leaning forward to rest her chin on the top of his head. Her eyes mapped the constellations with a contented smile. 

“I kinda hope Thor has to work more,” Loki shrugged. “So we can hang out.”

“We can hang out more often,” Brunnhilde laughed, thumping Loki’s arm. “Thor doesn’t have to be gone.”

Loki giggled. “That’s true. But we can’t break the rules if Thor’s here.”

“We can if we’re sneaky.”

Loki threw his head back laughing, but was cut off by a yawn. Brunnhilde hummed, and stood up with him still in her arms. She cradled him to her chest and started back towards the palace. “C’mon, sleepy head.”

“M’not sleepy,” Loki mumbled unconvincingly. 

“Sure, sure,” the valkyrie said, “Let’s go to bed, bud.”

“I mean, if you want to.”

Brunnhilde fake yawned. “Oh, I do.”

“Then I’ll go to bed. For you.”

“Right.”

Loki fell asleep right there in her arms before she even reached the front door. She carried him through the halls of the house and into his neat little room. Smiling down at him as she laid him gently in his bed, she wondered how she’d gotten here. Six years ago she was drunk on a trash planet, and now... She knelt down to brush Loki’s dark bangs away from his eyes and pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“Goodnight, Loki,” she whispered, pushing herself back up on her feet. 

“Goodnight, Brunnhilde,” he whispered, peeking up at her with one droopy eye. “Love you.”

To her credit, Brunnhilde only froze for a split second before she answered earnestly, “Love you, too.”


End file.
